Chapter 51: Souvenirs and a Lecture
“—And that’s why it took me so long to get back to the village. Sorry about that.”
“W-Wait a second, Eight-niichan!! That’s it!?”
Luka nearly fell off her chair.
“You can’t just end the story there!”
“Exactly!” Nor immediately chimed in.
“What happened after that!?”
After finally returning to Papel Village following the chaos in the royal capital, I had gathered everyone together and explained the general sequence of events.
Well…
Not the entire sequence.
There was no way I was going to tell Luka and the others that I had chopped off my own arm.
Some things were better left unsaid.
“Even if you ask what happened next, there really wasn’t much to tell. Tardolf-san and I were cleared of all suspicion, the king apologized for falsely accusing us, Hijiri-san spent a while shooting at Orvier as she tried to escape, and Raphiel repaired the church barrier…”
Honestly, there wasn’t much worth turning into a story.
If I had to pick one memorable thing, it would probably be Mea.
After everything was over, she refused to leave my side until the very last moment.
Like a baby koala clinging to a tree, she latched onto me and absolutely wouldn’t let go.
In the end, Sister Marusa somehow managed to persuade her.
“Once the orphanage relocates to Papel Village, you’ll be able to see Eight again whenever you want.”
Only after hearing that did she reluctantly release me.
…She had been kind of adorable.
“That girl, Mea, sounds dangerous…”
“Rio?”
I blinked.
“Why are you making such a scary face?”
“…Hm? No reason.”
Rio smiled sweetly.
“I was just thinking I’ll need to keep an eye on any flies buzzing around Eight-niichan.”
“Flies?”
I tilted my head.
“What flies?”
“Eight really is as dense as ever.”
Nor sighed deeply.
The kind of sigh that suggested she had completely given up on me as a human being.
Before I could ask what she meant, Luka suddenly snapped her fingers.
“Oh right!”
She jumped to his feet.
“Eight-niichan! You still haven’t given us our souvenirs!”
“Hm? Ah, that’s right.”
I grinned.
“Don’t worry. I bought something for everyone.”
After all, King Zigkun had compensated me quite generously as an apology for my wrongful arrest.
Very generously.
Enough that I didn’t feel guilty spending a little of it.
Reaching into my bag, I carefully laid several accessories across the living room table.
The moment the gemstones caught the light—
“WHOOOOA!!”
Luka’s eyes sparkled.
“They’re so shiny!”
“W-Wait a minute, Eight…”
Nor stared at the jewelry with growing horror.
“These had to be ridiculously expensive, didn’t they?”
“According to Raphiel, they cost about as much as buying every villager a brand-new next-generation game console.”
“THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT BETTER!”
Nor immediately threw her hands up.
“Now I definitely can’t accept them!”
“Yeah.”
I nodded.
“I kind of thought the same thing.”
Still, Hijiri had told me:
“Girls like shiny things.”
Trusting his wisdom, I had gone shopping.
Apparently, Nor disagreed with his assessment.
“It’s fine, Nor.”
Luka picked up a piece and examined it under the light.
“I actually like stuff like this.”
“…You really do, don’t you?”
Nor looked genuinely surprised.
“Kind of unexpected.”
“W-What’s that supposed to mean?”
Luka puffed out her cheeks.
“I’m a girl too, you know! Of course I like pretty accessories!”
That was true.
Considering how energetic and tomboyish Luka usually was, it was a little surprising.
But not impossible.
“I think it suits you.”
“Huh?”
“Everyone likes different things.”
I shrugged.
“There’s nothing strange about it.”
Luka immediately looked pleased.
Nor rolled her eyes.
“Well, that’s true, I guess.”
Then she looked at the accessories again.
“There’s a ring, a necklace, and earrings. Which one is for who?”
“The ring is for Nor.”
I pointed.
“The necklace is for Rio.”
Then the final piece.
“And the earrings are for Luka.”
One by one, I handed them over.
The three girls accepted their gifts.
Then—
Almost simultaneously—
Their expressions froze.
“H-Hey, Nor.”
Luka looked nervous.
“He definitely doesn’t realize, does he?”
“Of course he doesn’t.”
Nor pinched the bridge of her nose.
“If he did realize, Eight would be a full-blown lolicon.”
“Eh?”
I looked between them.
“What are you talking about?”
At that moment, Raphiel suddenly appeared from nowhere.
“As a matter of fact, gifting someone an accessory adorned with a gemstone that matches the color of their eyes is said to be the method of proposal used by the first Hero summoned to this world when he proposed to the princess of a great kingdom.”
“…Eh?”
My brain stalled.
“EH!?”
“Nowadays, the story has become a popular picture book.”
Raphiel nodded.
“Most children know it as a traditional form of marriage proposal.”
“Ah…”
A memory surfaced.
“Come to think of it, I feel like there was a picture book like that at the orphanage…”
There had been.
I vaguely remembered reading something similar.
But still!
The reason I bought those accessories was because the gemstones happened to match their eye colors and looked pretty!
That was all!
There had been absolutely no ulterior motive.
None whatsoever.
Most importantly—
I wasn’t the kind of person whose preferences were twisted enough to propose to girls younger than me.
“N-Not that I’d mind if it was Eight-niichan…”
Luka muttered shyly.
“A-Anyway!”
Nor immediately raised her voice.
“I’m the type who accepts gifts when they’re offered! That’s all! It’s not like I’m accepting Eight’s proposal or anything!”
“If some random girl I’ve never heard of is going to steal Eight-niichan away…”
Rio placed a finger against her chin.
“Perhaps forming an alliance with Luka and Nor would be strategically preferable…”
“Eight is quite popular.”
Raphiel’s comment carried a suspicious amount of amusement.
The three girls were staring at me with strangely intense gazes.
But surely I was imagining it.
Surely.
“Hey, hey!”
A cheerful voice interrupted.
“What about me? Don’t I get a souvenir?”
“Of course you do, Eve.”
I handed her a small box.
“Royal Capital specialty. Elde Manju.”
“Ooh! Looks tasty!”
Eve immediately stuffed one into her mouth.
“Munch munch…”
A pause.
Then—
“The taste is kind of mediocre!!”
Apparently, these buns were the result of Hijiri desperately trying to recreate Japanese sweets before he met me.
The main ingredient was a monster called an Azuki-Mimic.
The flavor was close.
Very close.
But there was a slight odd aftertaste that prevented it from fully capturing the original.
“Hinoka-sama, are you awake?”
“Hm?”
The goddess lazily emerged from the shadows.
“You brought a gift for me as well?”
“Of course!”
I proudly presented a decorative dagger.
“I found this at a weapon shop in the capital. It looked like the kind of thing people would use in rituals. I thought it would make a great offering to a god!”
“…Good heavens.”
The moment Hinoka accepted it, her expression changed.
“You’ve brought back a truly horrifying cursed object.”
“…Eh?”
Without further explanation, she shoved the dagger directly into her own shadow and stored it away.
For some reason, her presence seemed slightly stronger afterward.
A cold sweat ran down my back.
Had I accidentally bought something really dangerous?
While I was busy worrying about that, someone tugged on my sleeve.
“Father…”
Amate looked up at me with hopeful eyes.
“What about me…?”
I laughed.
“You really think I’d forget your present?”
Her face immediately lit up.
“For you, I bought a whole collection of picture books from different parts of the world.”
“Thank you very much, Father!!”
The way her eyes sparkled with joy was unbearably cute.
“Fufufu.”
I couldn’t help smiling.
Just then, Raphiel cleared her throat.
“Now then, Eight.”
“Hm?”
“Since the conversation has settled down, there’s something we need to discuss.”
“A discussion?”
“Yes.”
Raphiel folded her arms.
Then, with complete seriousness, she declared:
“I’m angry.”
The room went silent.
“Very angry.”
A dangerous aura seemed to gather around her.
“I’m one step away from completely losing my temper.”
“Eh?”
I blinked.
“W-Why?”
Raphiel stared at me.
Her expression practically screamed:
What’s wrong with this man?
“Even if it was to save a child.”
Her voice became low.
“You’re never to perform something that reckless again.”
“Ah…”
I scratched my cheek.
“You mean the arm incident?”
“Exactly.”
“Well, I mean…”
I laughed awkwardly.
“That hurt so much I never want to experience it again anyway.”
“State it clearly.”
Raphiel leaned forward.
“Promise me.”
The pressure was terrifying.
“Promise me you’ll never do it again.”
“…I won’t.”
“Louder.”
“I won’t do it again.”
“Good.”
The moment I answered, Raphiel suddenly rammed her forehead into my chest.
Thunk.
“Ow!”
Then she started rubbing her head against me repeatedly.
“Hey, hey, that actually hurts.”
“Don’t make me worry.”
Her voice was muffled.
“If something happened to you, Eight…”
The usual calm tone was gone.
“I wouldn’t be able to keep living.”
“Hahaha.”
I tried to lighten the mood.
“Even if I disappeared, Tardolf-san would still make delicious meals for you.”
“That isn’t what I mean.”
“Huh?”
I blinked.
“Then what do you mean—”
And then I looked down.
“!?”
Our eyes met.
For once, Raphiel’s face wasn’t expressionless.
Her silver eyes shimmered with moisture.
As if she were desperately holding back tears.
The sight struck me harder than any punch.
My heart skipped.
No.
It practically stopped.
W-Wait.
Was she actually about to cry?
Because of me?
My mind descended into complete chaos.
I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do.
And then—
As though heaven itself had taken pity on me—
The village chief arrived.
Fully clothed this time.
“EIGHTTTTT!”
The old man burst into the room.
“I’ve got something to discuss regarding the orphanage that’s being built in Papel Village!”
“A-Ah! Y-Yes!”
I practically leapt to my feet.
“I’m coming!”
Like a man fleeing from a natural disaster, I escaped toward the village chief.
“Hmm?”
The chief narrowed his eyes.
“Your face is awfully red.”
“Eh?”
I nearly choked.
“N-No, it’s nothing! Really!”
“Hm.”
The chief shrugged.
“Well, if you say so.”
There was no way I could admit that Raphiel’s tearful expression had nearly short-circuited my brain.
Then suddenly, another idea came to me.
“Oh, right.”
“Hm?”
“I actually wanted to ask you something too.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
I rubbed the back of my neck.
“If someone wanted to open a shop… specifically a restaurant… how would they go about doing that?”
“Hmm?”
The village chief stroked his beard thoughtfully.
And just like that, I desperately changed the subject before my heart could explode.